1. Statement of the Technical Field
The present invention relates to storage device carriers and chassis assemblies. More particularly, the present invention relates to storage device carriers comprising a support member (e.g., a tray, a sled, a frame, or a pair of rails) in which a storage device (e.g., a Hard Disk Drive or a Solid State Disk drive) can be inserted and retained therein without the use of a tool (e.g., a screwdriver).
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional computer systems and information networks require external data storage for storing large volumes of data. The external data storage typically includes Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) or Solid State Disk (SDD) drives. The HDDs (or SDD drives) typically include one inch (1″) HDDs (or SDD drives), one and a third inch (1.3″) HDDs (or SDD drives), one and eight inch (1.8″) HDDs (or SDD drives), two and a half inch (2.5″) HDDs (or SDD drives), and three and a half inch (3.5″) HDDs (or SDD drives).
Various mechanisms have been developed for housing the HDDs or SDD drives. One such mechanism is referred to as a hard disk drive (HDD) carrier and chassis assembly. The HDD carrier and chassis assembly accommodates the HDD and mechanically mates with the chassis assembly. During operation, an HDD is typically disposed in the HDD carrier. The HDD carrier is then inserted into a drive cage (or drive bay) in a computer chassis. An electromagnetic interface (EMI) shield is often included as part of the HDD carrier. The EMI shield functions to prevent any EMI interference from radiating outside of the computer or disk enclosure.
Despite the advantages of the HDD carrier and chassis assembly, it suffers from certain drawbacks. For example, the components of the HDD carrier are assembled using tools (e.g., screwdrivers). As such, the method for assembling an HDD carrier is relatively time consuming and cumbersome.